Display cartons



Jams, 1910 c. w. Rosmmgm 3,489,269

DISPLAY CARTONS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed oat. 6,. 1966 I I N VEN TOR. ma azizzgz/g' United States Patent 3,489,269 DISPLAY CARTONS Charles W. Rosenberg, Jr., North Tonawanda, N.Y., as-

signor to F. N. Burt Company, Inc., Buffalo, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware t Filed Oct. 6, 1966, Ser. No. 584,845 Int. Cl. B65d /50 US. Cl. 206--45.14 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A display carton formed by folding and glueing a one piece blank and being of a generally rectangular parallelepiped configuration and with a double-ply front wall, opposite end portions of the plies of the front wall remaining in contact, when the carton is erected, to provide flat areas as for receiving printed matter. A depression for receiving an article is provided in the front wall area by sloping inwardly-converging oppositely disposed panels hinged in pairs to the respective layers of the front wall. One pair of panels is provided with openings to receive portions of the enclosed article, the end portions of the several walls of the carton forming hollow boxlike end portions for the carton, one of these portions being braced by a fixed angular partition which underlies one of said sloping panels and serves to brace that panel to aid in supporting the article.

This invention relates to special receptacles and containers and more particularly to cartons or trays for the reception and display of articles of merchandise.

The general object of the invention is the provision of a novel and improved box or carton in which articles and packages may be removably cradled 'and thus disposed for display purposes.

The novel carton is similar in general classification and function to the carton illustrated in the copending application of James J. Puckett, granted June 13, 1967, No. 3,325,079, and owned by the assignee of the present application. However, the present inventive concept differs in a number of ingenious particulars which not only afford a stronger and sturdier tray or carton, when such is called for, but also which provides novel bracing means for certain types of products or articles and for the hinged sloping panels which frame the recess or cradle for the article.

Other objects and features of novelty, including the provision of certain front surface areas atboth end portions of the carton for the disp ay of pictorial or printed matter, the provision of double walls for certain panels of the carton which cooperate in providing retaining means for the article, and the provision of a novel onepiece blank from which the carton is erected, will be apparent from the specification when read in connection with the accompuanying drawings in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a packed carton embodying the principles of the invention, the assembly being shown in a reclining position although the arrangement may be also understood as capable of occupying an erect position standing upon its nearer end as a base;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a one-piece blank from which the carton may be made;

FIGURE 3 is a view in perspective of the erected box or carton, with certain of its flaps and panels in intermediate positions prior to the insertion of the article to be contained;

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the car- 'ton in this condition and as taken on line 4-4 of FIG- URE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an upper end view of the packed carton with the flaps and tabs open;

FIGURE 6 is a similar view of the bottom end of the carton;

FIGURE 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 77 of FIGURE 1; and with the suggested contents indicated in broken lines; and

FIGURE 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 88 of FIGURE 7 with the contents removed.

The novel display carton is indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 10, and as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 7 is adapted to contain or transport and display an article indicated at 11 which in this instance comprises a tube of facial or dental cream or other similar cosmetic item for purposes of example.

In its overall aspects the carton 10 is of substantially the configuration of a rectangular parallelopiped provided with a depression suggested generally at 12 for receiving the article: but which depression, unlike the situation in the copending application above mentioned, does not comprise the entire upper or forward face of the caron, but which contemplates the provision of closed or boxed-in end portions of the carton, the upper one of which has a quite extensive forward surface 14 upon which printed matter or pictorial display material may be impressed. The lower corresponding hollow block portion of the carton is preferably of somewhat smaller dimensions having a front surface 15 for similar purposes.

Perhaps the best way of describing the carton, its erection, loading, and constructional features, will be to begin with the blank shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. This plan view of the blank shows the various sections and panels thereof as viewed from the inside, most of the surfaces which ultimately appear exteriorly being on the opposite surface of the blank as shown in FIGURE 1.

The panels will be designated in order from left to right in the following description of the blank and the parts in the final assembly will bear similar designations.

Panel A comprises an overlapping side panel which ultimately has its upper face, as viewed in FIGURE 2, glued to the lower face of panel E which is to be described. The side panel A has flaps or tabs A and A hingedly attached at its upper and lower ends, respectively. The next panel which may be given the general designation B is a rather complicated panel forming the outer layer of the doubled structure of the face or front of the carton or package. This panel comprises the fixed areas B which ultimately provides the display surface 14 of FIGURE 1; the smaller area B which supplies the surface 15 of FIG- URE 1; and the hinged flaps B and B providing the sloping side walls of the recess 12.

At the upper end of the panel B a top panel B, is hinged, together with its flap B The next panel of the blank is designated C and it has top and bottom flaps C and C respectively.

The large panel D provides the rear or bottom surface of the carton and hinged to the lower edge thereof is the bottom wall of the carton D with its flap D The next panel E has been referred to and has an adhesive receiving area on its rear surface for attachment to the upper surface of the panel A.

The next rather complicated panel F provides the other or inner layer of the double top or front wall of the carton and comprises an upper fixed panel area F which is coextensive with and underlies the panel portion B of the upper front layer B of the carton. At the bottom of the panel F the portion F corresponds to the portion B, of the top front layer. Hingedly connected to the portion F is the panel portion F and the panel portion F is similarly attached to the portion F These portions F and F pro- 3 vide the sloping end walls of the recess 12. as shown in FIGURE 1.

The next panel G has on its lower surface an adhesive receiving area as indicated at 20 and which, when the carton is erected, adheres to the area 21 of panel C.

Finally panel portions H, I and I are folded to form a hollow loop and the upper surface I is adhesively secured to the area 22 of the panel portion F as will be described presently.

It may be mentioned here that in addition to the peculiar bracing feature afforded by the folded and glued panel portions H, I and J, a number of the walls of the finished container are doubled and thereby greatly strengthened by the overlapping of certain of the panel portions. It has already been indicated that panel A overlaps and is adhesively secured to panel E to provide one of the side walls of the container; the narrowed panel G forms a double wall along with panel C and, while the complex front wall panels B and F are not adhesively secured along any portions of their surface, they provide a novel and useful doubled front wall. Also each of these panels B and F lends a portion of its hinged sections to the provision of the interlocking cradle elements of the carton; the hinged panel portions or flaps F and P providing the sloping ends of the article containing recess with the panel portions B and B providing the sloping side panels thereof. Also the panel F is provided with the relatively narrow slot 25 and the panel portion R, is provided with the almost circular opening or notch 26 for receiving and anchoring the respective opposite ends of the tube 11.

The small panel portion I is also provided with a notch 27 which receives and braces a portion of the end of the article 11, as will be described.

The operation of erecting the carton is best explained by reference to FIGURES 3 and 4 which show an intermediate stage of the process where the adhesively secured portions of the panel have been brought into fixed conjunction but the fo-ldable and hinged flaps are left open prior to the'insertion of the article.

Perhaps the best way of starting the folding and erection of the carton from the blank of FIGURE 2 would be to bring the anel or flap I over the area 22 of the panel F,,, and glue these areas together, thus forming the squared loop constituted by panel sections H and I and portions of G and F, this loop being clearly shown in FIGURES 4, 5 and 7 of the drawings. At the same time the panel G will stand at right angles to the plane of the various portions of panel F.

Next, the panel structure F, G, H, I, I may be brought over and spaced from back panel D and the adhesive area of the reverse side of panel G glued to the area 21 of the upper surface of panel C of the blank. Then front panel layer B is brought down upon panle P which forms the inner layer of this double walled front panel and the upper surface of panel A and the lower surface of panel E of the blank adhesively secured together. An inspection of FIGURES 3 and 4 of the drawings will clearly show the result of these steps.

Next, the inwardly sloping end panels F and E of the depression or recess for cradling the article are bent downwardly into the recess substantially into positions shown in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7, where their lower free edges may touch the surface of the bottom panel D, as in FIGURE 7. Then the side panels of the depression B and B are bent inwardly until they occupy the ositions shown in FIGURES 5, 6 and 8, to complete the formation of the recess or depression.

Now attention should be called to'the particular configuration of the slot 25 in the sloping panel F This slot will, of course, take various shapes in accordance with the configuration of the end of the article which it is to receive. In the illustrated embodiment the end in question comprises the flattened butt end of the squeeze tube 11 as indicated at 11 in FIGURE 7. However, the ends of the slot 25 are angled downwardly as a 2 to Substantially conform to and receive the projections 30 formed on the upper edges of the sloping side panels B and B Small projections 25;, may be formed on the walls of the slot 25 and these will serve, if necessary, as temporary or preliminary retaining means for the tabs or projections 30 in maintaining the sloping side wall panels in position to form thedepression or cradle for the article.

In inserting the article, the cap or neck 11 at the opposite end thereof is inserted through the generally circular opening 26 as suggested in FIGURE 7 and the other end 11 moved downwardly into the recess until it snaps into the major portion of the slot 25 in the hinged panel F In this connection, it should be noted that additional bracing means for the panel F is supplied by the box-like structure comprised of the panels H and I, as clearly shown in FIGURES 5 and 7 of the drawings, and also the end 11 of the article itself is additionally braced by this structure, being received within the notch 27 formed in the panel I.

Finally the tabs A A C and C are folded in, and the closure panels B and D are brought into position at the ends of the carton over those tabs and with their own tabs B and D tucked in in the usual Way. Of course, it may be found expedient to close the ends of the carton in this sequence, but in some cases it may be desirable to close them before the insertion of the article. In removing the article, however, it may be convenient to open one or the other of the end closures to facilitate the dislodgrnent of an end of the article from the opening in one of the panels F or F It will thus be seen that the completed assembly as shown in FIGURES 1 and 7 of the drawings comprises a neat, readily assembled, sturdy, braced display structure for various types of articles, provision being made for the reception of both ends of the article in semi-fixed position, the article itself being neatly framed for extensive visibility within the sloping walls of the pocket or cradle, and the box-like end structures not only affording an important bracing feature but also providing the frontal areas 14 and 15 upon which display matter may be imprinted. Additionally, the feature providing a double walled front face structure afforded by the planar portions of the panels B and F also provide an advantageous feature of the invention.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiment illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A display carton of foldable sheet material providing a tray or cradle for the detachable reception and display of an article of merchandise, said carton being of the over-all configuration of a rectangular parallelepiped comprising a front wall, a rear wall, two oppositely disposed side walls and two oppositely disposed end walls; a depression in said front wall defined by sloping, inwardly-converging, hinged panels for receiving said article, said depression occupying less than the entire area of said front wall, leaving undepressed, hollow, substantially rectilinear box-like portions at each end of said carton, as for the reception of end portions of the article, said box-like end portions also exhibiting co-planar frontal areas at either end of said depression, as for the reception of display matter, and tuck-in flaps hingedly connected to said end walls for reception at the ends of said carton, a pair of said depression-forming, hinged panels sloping inwardly from the side walls of the carton and another pair of said hinged panels sloping inwardly from the edges of said frontal end areas of the front wall of the carton; and said last-named pair of hinged panels being provided with appropriately shaped openings through which portions of the articles may extend, at least one of said hollow end portions of the carton containing a fixed trans-. verse partition behind one of said sloping hinged end panels and aligned with the opening therein and ada ted to be contacted by an end of said article to brace the latter.

2. The carton as set forth in claim 1 in which said front wall is constructed in two superposed layers, two of the inwardly-converging sloping depression-forming panels hinged to and extending from one of said layers, and the other two of said sloping panels hinged to and extending from the other of said layers.

3. A carton as set forth in claim 1 in which the two sloping panels which form the side walls of the depression are formed from and hinged to the inner of said layers, and the two sloping panels which form the end walls of the depression are formed from and hinged to the outer of said layers, uninterrupted planar portions of the layers at the respective end portions of the front wall being overlapped in juxtaposition with each other to provide said display frontal areas.

4. The carton as set forth in claim 1 in which said partition has an edge sloping at the same angle as the adjacent sloping end panel whereby it is adapted to also brace said panel.

5. The carton as set forth in claim 4 wherein the sloping edge of said partition is notched just behind the opening in said sloping end panel to snugly receive the end of said article.

6. A carton as set forth in claim 1 in which the carton is comprised by a one-piece blank, the principal front, rear and side panels comprising adjacent hingedly connected areas of said blank, and said partition is formed from a series of hingedly connected extensions of said blank folded to a squared loop configuration within said box-like end portions of the carton.

7. A carton as set forth in claim 1 in which said carton is comprised by a one-piece blank consisting of a series of hingedly connected areas comprising the two side walls, the rear wall, and two superposed layers constituting the front wall structure, both of said front wall layers cut to provide a plurality of hinged panels with their free ends directed inwardly toward the center of the front wall area, and adapted to be depressed inwardly of the carton to provide a trough-like cradle for the article to be received.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,084,851 1/1914 Ford 22937 X 3,036,754 5/1962 Kleingel's 229-39 3,235,163 2/1966 Hennessey 229-37 3,292,777 12/ 1966 Desmond 20645.14 3,093,290 6/1963 Banks et a1. 20645.l4 X 3,270,867 9/1966 Hennessey et al. 206-4514 3,344,911 10/1967 Wolowicz et a1. 20645.14 3,360,117 12/1967 Powers et al. 20645.14

MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner 

